Harold Lang (December 21, 1920 – July 26, 1985) was an American dancer, singer and actor.

Life and career

Lang began his professional career as a ballet dancer, making his professional debut with the

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Fra ...

in 1938 and then going on to perform with the

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and it ...

two years later and

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

(then called Ballet Theatre) in 1943. While at ABT, he originated rôles in

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

' '' Fancy Free'' and '' Interplay'', in addition to performing in ballets by

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

David Lichine David Lichine (; 25 October 1910 – 26 June 1972) was a Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer. He had an international career as a performer, ballet master, and choreographer, staging works for many ballet companies and for several Hol ...

Léonide Massine Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (), better known in the West by the French transliteration as Léonide Massine (15 March 1979), was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. Massine created the world's first symphonic ballet, ''Les Présages'', and ...

and

Antony Tudor Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-195 ...

. Beginning in the late 1940s, Lang moved from ballet to musical theater. He made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

debut in the short-lived '' Mr. Strauss Goes to Boston'' (1945), then had more success as a soloist in '' Three to Make Ready'' (1946) and '' Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'!'' (1948). Lang's first major role, however, was as Bill Calhoun/Lucentio in the original production of ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off- ...

'' (1948) — although he did not always get along with composer

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

. His second major Broadway rôle was Joey in the 1952 revival of '' Pal Joey''. Other Broadway appearances included '' Make a Wish'' (1951), ''

Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place in Tibet's Kunlun Mountains, Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel '' Lost Horizon'' by the British author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently ...

'' (1956), '' Ziegfeld Follies of 1957'', and ''

I Can Get It for You Wholesale ''I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' is a musical originally produced by David Merrick, with music and lyrics by Harold Rome, and book by Jerome Weidman, based on his 1937 novel of the same title. Its 1962 production marked the Broadway debut ...

'' (1962). Lang also toured as the Jester in ''

Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical theater, musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway theat ...

''. In the long-running ''Kiss Me, Kate'', Lang (as Bill) performed his showstopping solo number, "Bianca", and also performed "We Open in Venice" (as Lucentio) with

Alfred Drake Alfred Drake (October 7, 1914 – July 25, 1992) was an American actor and singer. Biography Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Bro ...

(as Petruchio),

Patricia Morison Eileen Patricia Augusta Fraser Morison (March 19, 1915 – May 20, 2018) was an American stage, television and film actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood and mezzo-soprano singer. She made her feature film debut in 1939 after several years on t ...

(as Katharine) and

Lisa Kirk Lisa Kirk (born Elsie Kirk; February 25, 1925 – November 11, 1990) was an American actress and singer noted for her comic talents and rich contralto (her voice was called a husky alto). Career Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania as Elsie Kir ...

(as Bianca). Lang also performed " Tom, Dick or Harry" (as Lucentio) with Edwin Clay (as Gremio), Charles Wood (as Hortensio) and Lisa Kirk (as Bianca). Although he appeared on television in the early 1950s, Lang made no commercial films. It was reported

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

wanted him for the role of

Vera-Ellen Vera-Ellen (born Vera-Ellen Rohe; February 16, 1921 – August 30, 1981) was an American dancer, actress, and singer. She is remembered for her solo performances as well as her work with partners Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, and Donald ...

's character's boyfriend Mike in ''

Three Little Girls in Blue ''Three Little Girls in Blue'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical comedy film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring June Haver, George Montgomery, Vivian Blaine, Celeste Holm, Vera-Ellen, and Frank Latimore. The 20th Century-Fox f ...

'' (1946) but he had to refuse because of a stage commitment in '' Three to Make Ready'' (1946). The

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

has archival films of Lang's work in ''Fancy Free'' and ''Interplay''. He portrayed John Sappington Marmaduke "Bubber" Dinwiddie, the brother of Martha Dinwiddie Butterfield in the

Patrick Dennis Edward Everett Tanner III (18 May 1921 – 6 November 1976), known by the pseudonym Patrick Dennis, was an American author. His novel ''Auntie Mame, Auntie Mame: An irreverent escapade'' (1955) was one of the bestselling American boo ...

mock-bio ''First Lady''. Lang is included in Ben Bagley's 'Jerome Kern Revisited' album, singing four songs. Both

Arthur Laurents Arthur Laurents (July 14, 1917 – May 5, 2011) was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter. With a career spanning seven decades he received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, ...

and

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

reported having affairs with Lang. From 1970 until his death in 1985, aged 64, from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 United Sta ...

, Lang was a professor of dance at

California State University, Chico California State University, Chico (Chico State) is a public university in Chico, California. It was founded in 1887 as one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing ...

.Timeline
harold-lang.com. Accessed July 15, 2023.

Stage appearances

*'' Fancy Free'' (April 18, 1944) ( Metropolitan Opera House) *''Mr. Strauss Goes to Boston'' (September 6–15, 1945) (Broadway) *''Three to Make Ready'' (March 7 – December 14, 1946) (Broadway) *''Look Ma, I'm Dancin'!'' (January 29 – July 10, 1948) (Broadway) *''

'' (cast member from December 30, 1948 – July 28, 1950, replaced by understudy Danny Daniels when show moved to Shubert Theatre) (Broadway) *'' Make a Wish'' (April 18 – July 14, 1951) (Broadway) *'' Pal Joey'' (January 3, 1952 – April 18, 1953; 1954) (Broadway, national tour and London) *''

The Time of Your Life ''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway in 1939. C ...

'' (January 19–30, 1955) (Broadway) *''

'' (June 13 – 30, 1956) (Broadway) *'' Ziegfeld Follies of 1957'' (March 1 – June 15, 1957) (Broadway) *'' On the Town'' (January 15 – March 15, 1959) (Off-Broadway revival, Carnegie Hall Playhouse) (as Gabey) *''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

'' (1959) (

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

) (as Will Parker) *''

'' (1960–1961) (national tour) *''

'' (March 22 – December 8, 1962) (Broadway) *'' Song of Norway'' (1963) (

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...

) *''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

'' (1963) (

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

) (as Frank Schultz) *'' Little Me'' (1964) (

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous communit ...

) *''

No Strings ''No Strings'' is a musical drama with book by Samuel A. Taylor and words and music by Richard Rodgers. ''No Strings'' is the only Broadway score for which Rodgers wrote both lyrics and music, and the first musical he composed after the death o ...

'' (1964) (Gaithersburg, Maryland) *''The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter Revisited'' (1965) (Off-Broadway) *''The Gershwin Years'' (1973) (national tour)

References

Notes Further reading * Bayles-Yeager, Danni (ndg) ''Harold Lang: If He Asked Me, I Could Write a Book.'' Canada: Trafford Publishing.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Harold American male ballet dancers Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancers American Ballet Theatre dancers American male musical theatre actors 1920 births 1985 deaths Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California San Francisco Ballet principal dancers California State University, Chico faculty 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American ballet dancers